Automated messaging systems have enjoyed widespread use in recent years. These systems provide a convenient and direct way of communicating a message to an individual, such as, for example, an individual who may not be immediately available to receive the message. In the field of telephone communications, for example, voice messaging systems allow a calling party to leave an audio message for a called party who is not presently available to receive a telephone call. Such systems vary in complexity from automatic telephone answering machines, typically employed in the home, to sophisticated voice messaging systems commonly connected with large PBX systems, such as the American Telephone and Telegraph Company's (AT&T's) DEFINITY.RTM. PBX system. Examples of the latter type include AT&T's AUDIX.RTM. voice messaging system for institutions and businesses.
Simple voice messaging systems are activated when a called party fails to answer a telephone call. These systems typically record the voice message directly on conventional audio tape. In more sophisticated systems, the voice message may be convened into digital data for storage in computer memory and then converted back into voice signals upon retrieval by the message recipient. Sophisticated systems may also provide for direct message recording, without first requiring that the party to whom the message is directed fail to answer a telephone call.
In the field of computer-based communication, text messaging systems allow one computer system user to send text messages to another user. These systems are commonly referred to as electronic mail, or "e-mail," systems. E-mail systems are commonly available on large computer systems (e.g., mainframes) which are shared by a number of users connected to the system by remote terminals, and on computers which are interconnected to other computers in a "network." Such computer networks include LANs (Local Area Networks) and WANs (Wide Area Networks), as well as otherwise independent computer systems interconnected through conventional telephone lines with the use of modems. In each of these cases, multiple users in different locations (i.e., different offices, different buildings, or even different cities or countries) are electronically interconnected enabling electronic communication of textual messages. Examples of electronic mail systems provided on a widespread (i.e., national or international) networked basis include, for example, American Telephone and Telegraph Company's AT&T MAIL system.
These two types of messaging systems have been generally regarded as distinct means of communication. In many instances, however, a potential recipient of a message has access to both text and voice messaging systems or services. Consequently, one who desires to communicate with such a recipient using automated messaging has a choice of providing the recipient with a text message, a voice message, or both. Since the sender of a message often does not know which automated system will be most effective in delivering the message (since, e.g., the sender may not know which system the recipient will check first or how often such checking will be done), the sender often finds it desirable to send the same message twice--once using each system. In doing this, the sender may commit himself or herself to a time consuming effort to provide duplicate messages. Thus, it would be advantageous if the sender could send the same message by both means simultaneously, without having to first type a message to an e-mail system and then having to repeat the message verbally to a voice messaging system.